Vaguely Obvious
by Tofuu
Summary: When Roxas sees something he's not supposed to, the image ruthlessly takes hold and consumes him. Akuroku. One-shot.


**Vaguely Obvious**

Summary: When Roxas sees something he's not supposed to, the image ruthlessly takes hold and consumes him. Akuroku. One-shot.

Rated M for sexual stuff.

A/N: Special thanks to **QuinntheEskimo** for beta-ing! Be sure to check out her stuff. :)

.o.

_Glamorous_  
><em>Indie rock'n'roll is what I need<em>

Roxas groaned as the all too-familiar lyrics and chords started for what was probably the millionth time.

"Axel." The blonde gritted his teeth as he tried not to lose his mind. "I think you've reached your quota for that song for _life_."

"Huh?" Axel looked over obliviously, green eyes wide and innocent.

"That _song_." Roxas pointed an accusing finger in Axel's general direction, narrowing his eyes unpleasantly. "You've been playing it non-stop since last week."

Axel had a penchant for playing his favorite songs into the dirt—an unfortunate habit that drove a certain blonde near the brink of insanity, and murdered many songs that he, himself, enjoyed. This particular song Roxas didn't care for, so, no harm done...sorta. Well, no, it was maddening all the same.

Axel paused the song, and Roxas felt the pressure in his head lessen slightly.

"What's so amazing about that song, anyway?" Roxas asked, genuinely perplexed. "I mean...it's an _alright_ tune, but I didn't think it was anything that warranted more than a few replays..."

"It's a fucking GREAT song, Roxas!" Axel gushed, staring him down with those intense green eyes that normally would've made anyone shrink away under their sharp scrutiny. But Roxas remained unfazed, staring back with all kinds of doubt and skepticism written on his face, as he calmly slipped into a black deep v-neck tee.

"Do you even know what the song is _about_?" Knowing Axel, the redhead probably had a very selective and warped interpretation of the song. He was not particularly known for his literary prowess. Nor did he resemble anything _close_ to a lyrical genius, but it didn't matter, because Axel had the ability to make _any_ mundane word sound brilliant and deep once they were uttered from his lips.

Axel snorted as he leaned back in his seat and ran long fingers through wild, red hair. "There's no _official_ interpretation to a song, Rox." He stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "I mean, yea okay, The Killers obviously had their own intent behind it, but the _beauty_ of music is that you can take away whatever you want from it. There's no right or wrong reason to enjoy a song."

"Only dumb ones." Roxas muttered under his breath. "_Anyway_. Whatever. Just stop playing the damn song before I shoot someone in the head. And I can't promise it won't be you." Roxas threatened, as he looped a third belt around his thin waist and inspected himself in the full-length mirror.

"Since you asked so nicely, I'll _consider_ it." The redhead said smugly, giving no indication that he actually would, before hunching back over the little notebook on his desk. Roxas rolled his eyes, as he laced up his boots.

"Are you done with those lyrics yet?" He glanced at his cell phone impatiently. "Dem and Riku are waiting for us, and you're not even changed yet. We're on in like, an hour."

"Yea, yea." Axel replied distractedly without looking up, clearly still scribbling away in his notebook. He was always tweaking the lyrics until the last minute. Roxas never knew _how_ Axel managed to remember the right version.

Even as they arrived at the coffeehouse with Roxas urging Axel to _hurry up_, Axel remained fixated on the little notebook up until the moment right before he took the stage. He stepped up to the mic, wrapping his fingers around it and dramatically pulled it free from the stand.

"Heeyyy everyone, we're Nobody's Somebody!" Though apparently they were everybody's somebody, judging from the reaction of the crowd that had packed itself into the too-small coffeehouse. Roxas noted that they would have to find a bigger venue soon. The redhead had suddenly shifted into his stage persona, voice dropping down an octave, smooth and low, and edged with huskiness. His green eyes gleamed unnaturally, and his hair seemed more vibrant and untamed than ever.

Roxas spotted his brother's head of spiky hair amongst the crowd, meeting eyes as blue as his own. He gave a small grin as he positioned his fingers over the smooth keys of his keyboard, and Sora waved wildly back and cheered with the rest of the coffeehouse.

"You guys are in for a treat because we're gonna try a little something new tonight. Hope you all like it." Axel said with a wink, before turning to Demyx. "Hit it, Dem."

_Dial up my number now..._

.o.

"OH-my-god, that was so fucking sexy!" Sora burst out as soon as he was within earshot of the stage, Hayner tagging closely behind.

"What, your boyfriend?" Roxas arched an eyebrow at Riku, who had his back turned, bent down over some tangled cords.

"_No_! I mean, _yea_, he always is—." Sora quickly ogled the sight of Riku's ass. "But that's not what I was talking about! I meant the new song! Who _wrote_ it?"

"Well, Dem arranged most of the music...and Axel wrote the lyrics." Roxas furrowed his brows, trying to remember what Axel had actually sang after revising the lyrics so many times. He was going to have to check with the redhead.

Hayner was sporting a wide grin. "Sick. That was genius. Did you see what Axel was _doing_ with the mic? That was fucking foreplay right there. You guys are gonna get SO much ass tonight."

"You dumbass, Riku and Demyx are already _taken_." Sora said pointedly.

"So? That just means more ass for Rox and Axel. My assessment stands true." Hayner countered.

No, Roxas was not interested in said ass. He was more curious about what Axel had done with the mic, suddenly regretting not having paid more attention to him. He glanced around and found the sight of the redhead to be sorely missed. "Where's Axel?" He prodded his band-mates.

Demyx shrugged, slinging his guitar over his shoulder. "In the break room? I think he needed some water."

After gathering his belongings, Roxas found himself pushing through the crowd that was slowly dispersing, having to politely shrug off a few girls that approached him, with an apologetic, "Sorry, gotta go." He approached the narrow hallway in the back of the coffeehouse that housed the small break room and a stockroom.

The door to the break room was opened a crack, casting a thin sliver of light on the floor of the dark hallway. Roxas froze in his tracks when he heard something...something that rose above the din of the coffeehouse crowd. Something that sounded suspiciously like a muffled moan. _No way, that can't be right_. He was probably just hearing things. Ears perked, Roxas took a tremulous step towards the door, and then another, until another moan—this time louder and unmistakable–sent the hairs on the back of his neck standing. _Oh god, don't tell me it's—._ He was close enough to peer through the opening, and when he did, he instantly caught a flash of red. He moved in more closely, angling himself to see more of the room and his jaw nearly dropped.

Axel was sitting on the couch, with one arm resting against the back of the couch, his head thrown back and eyes closed, brows contorted in pleasure, mouth open and panting for air. His other hand was tangled in a head of auburn hair that was bobbing _quite_ enthusiastically between Axel's splayed legs.

_Who the fuck—is that...Kairi?_

_You guys are gonna get SO much ass tonight_. Hayner's words echoed in Roxas's mind.

Roxas felt his stomach twist and churn in a way he didn't understand, as he watched his best friend get blown by one of the hottest chicks from school, unable to pry his eyes away. Another groan escaped Axel's lips as his brows drew in further together. "Mmm _yea_, baby, just like that...just like that..." Axel purred in a voice that Roxas had _never_ heard before.

Roxas hurriedly turned away, wide-eyed, as his feet took him away from the back as quickly as possible.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck. _His heart was pounding out of his chest. How was he going to be able to face Axel after seeing _that_? The sight of spiky brown hair and silky, silver locks was never more welcome, as relief and gratitude surged within him.

"You okay, Rox? Your whole face is red." Riku observed with a raised brow.

"Did a girl try to kiss you, or something?" Sora teased.

_No, but a girl kissed my best friend...in a very intimate area. _Roxas felt himself flush anew, unsure why it was all so embarrassing. "N-not really. Uh, hey, can I catch a ride back with you, Sora?"

"Yea, of course you can! But I thought Axel drove...?"

"Yea, well, uhm, I can't find him. And I'm kind of tired so I don't really feel like waiting." Some of his stuff was still in Axel's car, he remembered, but never mind that. He just had to get the hell out of there before Axel showed his post-blowjob face.

"Sure, let's go." Riku said with a slow shrug.

.o.

On the way home, Axel had called Roxas, and Roxas had panicked for a bit, wondering if he should pick up or not until Riku shot him a look through the rear-view mirror, announcing unhelpfully, "Your phone's ringing."

"_Yo, Roxas, where the hell are you?_"

"I left with Sora and Riku."

"_Whaat? You couldn't have waited like two minutes? Isn't your bookbag still in my car? Want me to bring it over?"_

"Uh, no! T-that's okay. I couldn't find you, and I'm just feeling really tired for some reason so I decided to leave first. Listen, I'll get my stuff tomorrow, alright? No biggie."

.o.

"You sure you're okay, Roxas?" Sora had poked his head into Roxas's room. Roxas glanced up from the screen, sighing as he leaned back in his chair and flipped the lid of his laptop shut. Sora took this as an invitation to come in, and he flopped onto Roxas's made bed, seating himself at the corner, cross-legged. "You were awfully quiet in the car. Did something happen?" Blue eyes peered earnestly at Roxas, in an _I'm listening_ mode. This was one of the things Roxas really appreciated about his brother. Maybe Sora wasn't the sharpest and wisest brunette out there, and honestly, there were times when Roxas felt they should've swapped hair color—but Sora was just so _easy_ to talk to, so understanding, and so nonjudgmental.

"I..." Roxas could feel a lump building in his throat, as Sora eagerly edged closer to him. "I saw Axel getting blown in the break room by...by Kairi." He said weakly, the words seeming unreal as they left his lips.

"What?" Sora's eyes had grown as wide as the moon in disbelief, but he seemed to instantly recover, as he let out a sudden laugh. "I _told_ you that song made everyone hot and bothered. It's okay, Rox. Your next performance is in two nights right? I'm sure you can score some, too!" He said brightly.

"Well, no! That's not what I..." Roxas bit his lip as he tried to figure out what he was trying to say.

"What? What is it?" The brunette urged.

"I don't know." Roxas mumbled, shaking his head in surrender. "I don't know. I just...just felt kind of _sick_ seeing that."

Sora studied Roxas, who refused to meet his eyes, for a few moments. "You're _jealous_." He finally said in wonderment.

Roxas snapped his head up. "Jealous? No! I'm not interested in her—."

"No, silly, you're jealous of _Kairi_." Roxas stared at Sora as the meaning of those words sunk in. _Jealous of Kairi? As in...I wanted to... _He had to be joking. He had to be, but he wasn't. Sora's normally animated face was still and dead serious, waiting for a reaction.

"You're saying," Roxas said slowly. "That I wanted to give Axel a...a _blowjob_?" The last word came out in a horrified whisper.

Sora nearly choked. "_No_, Rox! Like, maybe, I dunno, you're feeling protective of Axel? You're afraid girls might threaten your friendship?"

"Oh." A wave of calm settled over Roxas. "Huh, that makes sense."

"Look, don't worry about it alright? You and Axel go _way_ back. He's not just going to ditch you for some hussy. Silly." Sora prodded Roxas in the head, laughing as Roxas swatted him away. "And if he does, I'll get Riku to beat him up." Sora added as he started to leave, his voice trailing out of the room.

A brawl between Axel and Riku? He'd pay to see that. The corners of Roxas's mouth twitched in amusement.

Left alone in the room with his own thoughts, he went over what Sora had just said. Roxas and Axel had _always_ been inseparable, and Roxas had expected to catch a ride with Axel, like he _always_ did. But tonight, a girl had upset that routine—disturbed the order and calm of their universe...hence the terrible pangs of jealousy Roxas was feeling. Yea, that must've been it.

But Axel had every right to pursue girls, Roxas reasoned. Did he think it'd forever be the two of them, eventually two wrinkled old men sitting on a porch, still cracking dirty, immature jokes? No, no. Axel had every right to date the girl of his dreams, marry her, have a ton of babies and live happily with her till death due them part. As did Roxas, but that came as no consolation.

.o.

The next morning at school, a tall lanky figure was waiting for Roxas at Roxas's locker. "Here's your bag, _Roxy_." Roxas could tell by the teasing tone that Axel was in high spirits. Somehow, that only served to put a damper on his own mood.

"Oh, thanks." Roxas took it wordlessly and turned to open his locker, unable to meet the green eyes that were staring at him. Axel frowned, bending down until his face was leveled with the blonde teen's.

"What's wrong with _you_?"

Roxas stiffened at the sudden closeness, painfully aware of the other's body heat. The memory of Axel's face, twisted in pleasure from last night flashed through Roxas's mind. "Fuckin' headache." He lied, sounding more irritated than he had meant to sound.

"Oooh. Shit Rox, sorry." Axel backed off slightly, straightening himself. Roxas said nothing as he dug through his bookbag, sorting out the binders and textbook. "_So_." Axel started cheerfully. "What'd you think of the new lyrics last night?"

Roxas spared a quick glance at the redhead, who was positively _beaming_, as if he was expecting Roxas to award him with an Emmy at any moment now. "Actually, I...didn't really hear them." He admitted, and Axel's face fell.

"You didn't _hear_ them?" He sounded disappointed, but rebounded with, "Well you'll hear them at practice tonight." Roxas closed his locker and two started walking in the direction of their homerooms.

"Are you actually finished with them?" Roxas eyed the distance between him and Axel, noticing for the first time that...maybe they were kind of too close. Had it always been like this?

"Nng...I think so." The redhead only got closer, clasping a hand on Roxas's shoulder. "You sure you're okay? You seem kind of...off today. Maybe you should stay home. We can ask Zex to sub in for y—."

"Nah." Roxas interrupted, shrugging him off. "I'll be fine. See you tonight?"

The frown on Axel's face was unrelenting. "Well...okay." He said hesitantly. "Let me know if you need anything?"

"Yea. Thanks, Axel." Roxas stopped in front of his homeroom. He plucked up the courage to look Axel directly in the eyes, putting on what he hoped was a reassuring smile, that things were fine and normal between the two, and that Roxas had totally _not_ seen him fuck a girl's mouth last night.

It seemed to work, as a familiar grin worked its way across Axel's face, his hand reaching up instinctively to muss up the blonde's hair, and Roxas wrinkled his face slightly with a small smile in anticipation. But then Axel's hand stopped just short of Roxas's head, and dropped back down to Axel's side.

"Heh, sorry. Forgot you had a headache."

The blonde teen felt inexplicably let down as he walked to his seat.

.o.

The front door was unlocked, as usual, and Roxas let himself into the quiet house and walked down the familiar set of stairs that he had tread countless times.

He was the first one there.

"I thought you said you were done."

Axel's head snapped up to regard the blonde teen who had appeared at the door to his basement bedroom. He was sitting on the floor, notebook resting in lap, pen in hand.

"I am, I am." Axel waved him off as he glanced back down at his notebook, pen hovering over the page. "It's just..."

"Leave it." Roxas said flatly, plopping down on the ground next to Axel—but not _too_ close. "I mean, everyone really liked it last night, right? Can I see?" Wordlessly, Axel handed the notebook over, green eyes watching intently, hinged on the blonde's reaction. "..._Switch me on / Turn me up / Don't want it Baudelaire / Just glitter lust_. What the fuck, Axel, were you on drugs when you wrote this?" Roxas arched a brow at the redhead, shoving the notebook back into Axel's hands.

"You didn't even read all of it!" Axel scoffed, brows furrowed in something like hurt.

"Well we're about to practice this. And you'll probably just go changing the lyrics again, so what's the point?" Roxas said with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't you even want to know what this song's about?" The redhead asked pointedly.

"Hey, according to you, there's no _official_ interpretation. I can take whatever I want away from it, right? And _I _think _I'm_ gonna take away, that _you_—."

A sharp rap on the frame of Axel's bedroom door disrupted the pair's squabbling. "Am I interrupting something? Lover's quarrel?" A smug look graced Riku's face as he walked in, smelling faintly of chlorine, silver hair glistening with dampness from swim practice.

"W-what?" Roxas sputtered.

"Roxas is being a _dick_. He won't read my lyrics." Axel accused, wearing a ridiculously exaggerated pout whilst stabbing a finger towards Roxas as if he was in 2nd grade.

"And why won't you read Axel's lyrics, Roxas?" Riku mediated, wearily humoring the situation.

"Because he thinks they're dumb. And he doesn't give a shit." Axel answered loftily before Roxas could.

"Of _course_ I give a shit, Axel!" Roxas reeled on the redhead angrily, impatient with Axel's sudden immaturity. "And when did I ever say they were _dumb_?"

"You thought I was _stoned_ when I wrote this." The redhead snorted, crossing his arms in a defensive stance.

"And stoned somehow equates to dumb? Plenty of people write and paint brilliant shit when they're fucked up!"

"Oh, _now_ you're calling me a genius? 'Cause it _totally_ didn't sound like that was what you were hinting at earlier. So what am I, some kind of fucked up genius now?"

"Alright, both of you shut up." Riku snapped, bare arms crossed. "You guys are seriously being retarded."

"Fucked up genius _retard_." Roxas quipped, paying Riku little mind.

"Roxas, _shut up_." Riku glared the two into silence before Axel could reply.

"Whatever. I need a smoke. Maybe get _high_ or something." Axel got up, shooting Roxas a dirty look before leaving the room sulkily.

Silence permeated the room as Roxas sat numbly, a prickling sensation creeping up his skin.

"You okay?"

Roxas looked up to see Riku throwing him a sidelong glance through narrowed sea-green eyes. "Yea I'm okay." He sighed, breaking eye contact and running a hand through blonde hair. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

The silver-haired teen shrugged, uncrossing his arms. "You were kind of being an ass."

"What do you mean? What'd I say?" Roxas looked at Riku blankly.

The silver-haired teen clicked his tongue twice, as if searching for the right words before responding. "It wasn't so much _what_ you said, but rather _how_ you said it. You just sounded all sorts of nasty...like you were actually _trying_ to push him over the edge." Riku pointed out. "I mean..." He let out a hefty sigh. "You know better than anyone that Axel's kind of a pain sometimes, but you don't usually let it get to you like this. You're _immune_ to it. So that begs the question...did something happen between you two?"

Roxas tried to think back to the exchange that had just taken place between him and Axel. Alright, so maybe Roxas _was_ being a bit mean-spirited back there. Maybe he _could've_ finished reading those lyrics instead of suggesting off-handedly that Axel was a stoner, which Roxas knew he wasn't. 

But…he had to! He had to distance himself from Axel. Push the redhead away. Withhold his approval. He couldn't let it be known that Axel never failed to rock everyone's socks off, Roxas's particularly.

The sound of feet padding down the basement steps saved Roxas from answering Riku's question.

"Dem's here! Let's start!" Axel announced, having bounced back to his usual, boisterous self. Riku exchanged one last look with Roxas before the two picked themselves off of the ground and headed out of the room into the open space of the basement.

Roxas stood in front of his keyboard, fingers hovering over the keys at the ready. Riku settled himself onto his seat, twirling a drumstick, waiting for Demyx to hook up his guitar up to the amp. Meanwhile, Axel blinked at the notebook in hand for a few moments before tossing it aside.

Soon, Demyx struck the first chord, and Axel opened his mouth to sing.

_Switch me on_  
><em>Turn me up<em>

Roxas's breath hitched in his throat as he watched Axel put on a subdued show of what he normally did. He couldn't see Axel's face, as the singer was turned towards an imaginary audience, but he _could_ see the outline of Axel's ass in those skin-tight jeans the redhead so enjoyed wearing.

_I want to touch you_  
><em>You're just made for love<em>

He watched the taut muscles move beneath those jeans as Axel strutted about in what would've been a ridiculous manner for anyone else, but Axel managed to pull it off. In fact, Axel did _better_ than just _manage_. Roxas nearly fumbled on the keyboard as Axel suddenly turned 90 degrees to one side, providing the blonde with a very good side view of the bulge in front of Axel's jeans. The size of Axel's package wasn't really anything new, because it had always been obvious just how well endowed the redhead was since 8th grade, where his love for tight jeans had spawned. But it had always been just purely fact, like how Axel's hair was red, how he was 6'3" or how his eyes were green. Roxas never actually _pondered_ on it, never _dwelled_ on it.

_I need la la la la la la_  
><em>I need ooh la la la la<em>

And now, the blonde-haired teen found himself wondering about just how big the redhead was when...well, erect. Silently, he cursed the obstruction of Kairi's head in his memory of last night's scene and—oh god, wait a minute, what the _fuck_ was he thinking? And why was everyone staring at him all of a sudden?

"Roxas? Hey, hellooo? Why'd you stop?" Axel prompted, his upper torso turned to see what was going on.

"Err...you okay, man? You look like you're overheating or something." Demyx observed, blue eyes wide in concern.

"Huh?" Roxas hadn't realized that his fingers had stopped working and that his face was flustered and burning. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, noticing just how hot the skin back there felt. "Uh...lost my place."

The rest of practice dragged on, as Roxas forced himself to think about _anything_ but Axel. But with Axel's melodic voice sounding something akin to sex, the singular task proved to be painfully difficult and Roxas could not have been more relieved when practice was finally over.

Riku had brushed by Roxas as he was leaving, muttering quietly to the blonde, "You should probably apologize."

Waiting for Demyx to leave, Roxas staggered the process of packing up his keyboard. He slung the instrument onto his back, following the blonde guitarist out, pausing at the front door while Demyx had gone ahead and left.

"Hey Axel?" He turned to the redhead who seemed slightly surprised that Roxas was addressing him. "Those lyrics...they're pretty good. Well, when _you_ sing it anyway. On paper they're kind of removed from their brilliance." He said with a small smile.

Axel stared down at the blonde incredulously for few seconds before breaking into a wide grin. "Hey, it's okay. You can admit it if you really hate those lyrics. It's not like I have _feelings_ or anything." The redhead teased, ruffling the blonde's hair and then pausing mid-ruffle. "You don't still have your headache, do you?"

Roxas almost didn't know what Axel was talking about, but then quickly remembered and rolled his eyes. "Right, because I _enjoy_ subjecting myself to loud music and noises when I have headaches."

"Just _checking_, you little prick."

"Whatever, you big idiot."

.o.

Tomorrow night came soon enough, as Roxas felt himself growing anxious at the thought of seeing Axel soon. The redhead had called earlier in the morning to check up on Roxas, make sure he was feeling alright, and asked what time Roxas wanted to be picked up for tonight. Roxas had surprised himself, and Axel, by saying that he would just catch a ride with Riku, who lived the next street over.

It was truly inefficient how Axel always picked up or dropped off Roxas, and how Riku did the same for Sora, when one of them could've easily picked up the both of them since they all hung out within the same circle of friends anyway and were often bound for the same places. But nobody ever brought it up. Axel never complained about being Roxas's personal chauffeur, and perhaps this was the reason the short blonde never stopped to think about this.

The floor of Axel's car was usually littered with his junk, and there was rarely ever room in the backseat, for the redhead treated it as his permanent storage. One time, Roxas found a bottle of chili sauce to complement a bland dinner. Another time, he found a new pair of shoes that belonged to neither of them, but were mysteriously in the blonde's size. Then, there was always the faint but unmistakable scent of smoke and spice that belonged to Axel.

Riku's car was the exact opposite, pristine on the inside, with plenty of room in the back for Roxas to sprawl out had he so desired...and it smelled generically of boring car freshener. Not that Roxas was complaining, or in any position to.

When they arrived at the venue where they were performing at, Axel and Demyx were already setting up. Roxas took one look at Axel and was determined not to look directly his way again, as his stomach did a nauseating little dance. Axel was wearing an unbuttoned blazer with nothing underneath that, exposing a smooth, broad chest and lightly toned abdominal region, his tight jeans riding low on his waist, sharp hipbones peeking out above the dark denim.

"Hey." Roxas grunted, as he quickly passed the redhead, holding his breath because he _knew_ Axel probably smelled amazing.

"Hey..." Roxas could sense Axel staring at him out of the corner of his eye, as the redhead stood there dumbly, most likely wracking his brain, wondering if he had done something wrong, wondering if he should ask. The blonde teen began to set up the keyboard stand, blue eyes firmly downcast in guilt, ears slightly burning in embarrassment for not even being able to meet his best friend in the eye. Slight relief came when Riku started saying something and Axel pried his attention away to respond.

The downtown lounge they were playing at tonight was bigger than the little coffeehouse they had performed in. None of their friends were present, because they were all underage. Roxas stared out nervously into the sea of unfamiliar patrons, where obscene amounts of facial hair and full-busts indicated the clearly older audience. However, Axel got up there without hesitation and did his thing, crooning lovingly into the mic and swaying sensually to the rhythm. The unruly crowd loved him, his half-bared torso and those jeans that concealed too-little. They called out to him, whistled, and hooted their approval. One shrill, and probably drunk, voice in particular was screaming some obscenity like, "_I WANT YOUR FUCKIN' BABIES!_"

Afterwards, while they tried to pack up, swarms of liquored-up people approached them, offering to buy the underage teens a drink and asking if they wanted to get out of there, _wink wink_.

Axel seemed to be getting on amiably with the two women who were hanging off on either sides of him, lips curled in flirtation, his laugh a bit too audible from where Roxas was standing. Roxas zipped up the keyboard bag forcibly, blood boiling, as he ignored all those who tried to talk to him. He was just about to sling his equipment over his shoulder when suddenly, Axel was saying something to him.

"Hey Rox. Rox, wait for me?" Roxas snapped his head up to glance at Axel who was flashing him a blinding smile before darting his green eyes back to one of the ugly hags to laugh at something she had whispered into his ear that probably wasn't even _funny_.

_Fuck _no.

He turned with a huff and left with Riku, who said nothing to Roxas concerning his strange behavior, and Roxas was truly thankful for that.

When he arrived home and trudged wearily up to his room, he was attacked by a bouncing Sora who wanted to know how everything went, but Roxas shrugged him off with a rough, "Fine," and retreated into his room.

He sprawled out on his bed, face-planted into a pillow as if trying to smother out all of the madness and clutter in his head. Just what was happening to him? When did he start noticing his best friend in all the wrong ways, and for god's sake, wasn't Roxas _straight_? He sat up and hugged his pillow, feeling very much like crying, thinking back miserably to his first and only girlfriend.

It had been Roxas's freshman year when he recklessly asked Namine out, and the blonde-haired girl surprisingly agreed. They held hands, and Roxas would wait at her locker, walk her to class, and so on. When he first kissed her, they were sitting on the floor of Namine's room, her lips sweet and sticky from the sparkly gloss she wore. When he tried to kiss her on the cheek in the hallways, she would duck away and complain that she had _just_ fixed her blush, her eyeliner, or whatever other shit she caked her face in. The first time Roxas managed to take Namine's shirt off, his hands had trembled as they glided over her smooth, girly skin to rest on the small mounds of her chest. He had squeezed and massaged them experimentally and she had giggled in response and tugged his pants off, giving Roxas his first blowjob.

When they finally got around to _doing_ it for the first time, Roxas remembered her face had tensed and twisted in pain, as he began to enter her, and she commanded him to stop. After the first time, it got easier and didn't hurt eventually. But Roxas could never tell if Namine was enjoying herself, as she would lay stiff and silent, panting only slightly, as Roxas thrust into her.

Axel _hated_ Namine for some inexplicable reason. When Roxas had timidly tried to ask Axel about their sex life, Axel had replied crossly with, "Dunno, maybe because she's a fucking cold robot _bitch_?" And when Roxas had tried to ask the tall redhead _why_ he hated Namine's guts so much—because Axel at _least_ owed him this explanation—Axel had simply snorted and vaguely reasoned, "_'Cause_, Rox. You're too _good_ for her shit."

Axel refused to be anywhere Namine was, and a rift between the two best friends slowly grew in those few months.

Four months into the relationship, Namine cheated on Roxas with some upperclassman named Seifer, and word got around. Axel had appeared at Roxas's locker looking all kinds of guilty and tried to make himself emotionally available, saying stuff like, "My god, Rox, I am so fucking sorry. I _knew_ she was a ho, I _knew_ it." and "Rox, you're fucking _awesome_, you know that? I'm telling you, you're too good for this shit." and also, "I don't hit girls, but you want me to kick Seifer's ass? 'Cause I'm totally game."

Roxas had felt empty on the inside, but he didn't exactly feel sad. He didn't feel the need to bawl out his eyes or write emo poetry about his first love—because, well, he realized he never did love her. Besides, the emptiness was quickly filled by the reappearance of his best friend, who'd then made it his mission to spend most of his free time hanging around Roxas, glued to his side more stubbornly than ever to "fend off the bitches."

Had Roxas even honestly _liked_ her? She'd been pretty to look at and nice to touch, but that was all. He could barely remember what it had felt like to be in a relationship and vaguely remembered the reason he had bothered to ask her out at all. It had something to do with overhearing Tidus and Zidane gush about how "hot" she was one day in class.

Roxas frowned when he couldn't remember the rest.

Axel was different from Namine. So different that it seemed like an insult to Axel to compare the two. Namine was a fragile little psyche. He had to be cautious with every word, every movement, and every step he treaded around her so that he wouldn't upset any of her perfect little feathers. On the other hand, Axel could stomach virtually anything Roxas said to him. In fact, he often laughed it off, practically asking for seconds, spirits unusually high. Namine was a little princess, and Axel...well, Axel was no prince. _More like a court jester_, Roxas thought, scrunching up his nose.

_You like him don't you? That's sick. He's your best friend, you fucking twat._

The blonde teen shivered and clutched his pillow more tightly. He would take a break from Axel. Let things cool off for a bit.

_You can't just 'take a break' from friends, dumbass. It doesn't work like that._

"Well then what the _fuck_ am I supposed to do?" Roxas whispered fiercely into his pillow.

.o.

Axel's missed calls went unanswered for the rest of the weekend. When Monday rolled around, Roxas deftly avoided all the paths he knew Axel would take, knowing the redhead's schedule just as well as his own. He stopped at his locker when he knew Axel didn't have time in-between classes to catch him there, and blue eyes were constantly on the lookout for that bright, red head of hair.

And just that like, he managed to elude Axel and continued to ignore all of his calls and texts the entire week. He also missed all the band practices, telling Riku and Demyx that he had a lot of schoolwork to catch up on. Roxas wasn't sure why he was going to such lengths to cut the redhead off, but he knew for sure that he felt more sane this way.

Over the weekend, he buried himself in his homework, declining to go out when Sora asked. For the first time ever, Roxas did not have homework to do on a Sunday.

The following Monday, Roxas caught a close call when he had unexpectedly saw Axel coming his way, his height making him an obvious sight amongst the hordes of highschoolers. Axel's shoulders were hunched in a rather sulky manner and his eyes were glazed over, unfocused, as if lost in thought. Roxas quickly ducked his head, swearing heavily under his breath and dashed in the opposite direction.

On Tuesday, in English class, he became vaguely aware of something. He lifted his head and looked around, not knowing what that _something_ was, only that he felt it. He glanced slightly backwards to his right and caught Riku's eyes, which narrowed upon meeting his. Riku, who usually minded his own business and never really bothered Roxas in class, was staring blatantly at Roxas with distaste.

_What?_ Roxas mouthed. Riku averted his eyes haughtily, his pretty face poised in cool disdain.

Rolling his eyes, Roxas turned his attention back to the front, scowling. _I guess if I were him, I'd be pissed too._

Though Roxas was no longer seeing Axel, it didn't mean he thought about him any less. In fact, he _missed_ his best friend. Days passed blandly, tastelessly, and humorlessly, with no pop of red or green to color his world. Sora stubbornly questioned his twin about what happened between him and Axel, and Roxas refused to tell him because, he was trying to _forget_ these feelings. Not talk about or validate them.

On Wednesday, he caught sight of Kairi and Selphie laughing and walking down the hallway towards him, and a pang of jealousy and disgust flared up inside of him. _Slut_, Roxas thought, as he observed the delicate gel nails on those tiny, slim fingers that brushed a stray strand of auburn hair from the features of her cute, pouty, _dick-sucking_ face.

_I could suck dick better than her_, Roxas viciously thought, in the heat of the moment. _Wait, what the fuck am I thinking? I don't even know how to suck dick. Fuuuck._

When school ended on Friday, Roxas was shoving books into his bag, as fast as he could, so that he could fly out of there at the soonest moment. He stood up and was giving his locker one last glance over, when a fist suddenly slammed into the locker next to his, and set his heart pounding at an impossible rate. Daring himself to turn around, he found himself staring at the familiar angles of the face that he'd been missing.

"Hey." He noticed that Axel looked tired, and was panting a bit, as if he had ran a marathon to catch the blonde, his voice oddly level, though green eyes brimmed with...anger? Hurt?

"Hi..." Roxas offered in a small voice.

Axel closed his eyes briefly, letting out a steady breath, leaning perilously close, the muscles in his arm tense. Roxas bit down nervously on his lip, quickly glancing around to see other students staring. Green eyes opened and focused again on the short blonde. "Mind telling me what's going on with you? I mean...where the _hell_ have you been?"

Roxas winced at the roughness of Axel's voice. "Look, I'm _sorry_ Axel. I've just been really involved with schoolwork lately. SATs are coming up and all, too..." He said, groping for excuses.

Axel looked at Roxas like he was batshit insane. "You're shitting me, right? You're _shitting_ me. That's no reason to be _avoiding_ me like the fucking plague!"

"I just needed some time to get my shit straight! Is that so much to ask?" It was the half-truth, after all.

"I don't see how that equates to you being a dick to me." Axel remarked angrily. "And no, you never actually _asked_. You just _did_. How about cluing in your best friend, huh?"

"I'm _sorry_. I just…" Roxas didn't know what to say. "Look," He started quietly, looking down at his shoes. "I think I'm gonna quit the band for a little bi—."

"WHAT?" If Roxas had thought that Axel looked livid before, the redhead totally lost it now. "Rox, you can't just fucking LEAVE! What the fuck—_why_? Did I _do_ something? If I did something—."

"I _told _you why." Roxas insisted, slowly closing his locker.

"Wait, but _wait_." Axel growled as he grabbed Roxas by the shoulder, preventing him from leaving. "You're gonna have to do better than that, Rox. Quit acting like I haven't known you for the past 8 years." His voice had dropped dangerously low and his fingers dug painfully into his shoulder. "What is this about, huh? Why won't you tell me? I'm not letting you go until you tell me something that _doesn't_ reek of bullshit."

"Fine," Something in Roxas snapped. "_Fine_. You want the truth?" He spat, anger creeping into his voice, tears threatening to burn in his eyes. "I...I _like_ you, okay? I like you and...and it's fucking _sick_, because I shouldn't be feeling this way about you. I'm _sorry_, okay?"

When Axel didn't answer and only stared at Roxas, disbelieving, Roxas shoved past the redhead in one deft movement and started to run.

"Roxas, _wait_!"

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry._ The words cycled through his head, over and over again.

.o.

After the weekend, Roxas redoubled his efforts to avoid the redhead. He had no idea just how much longer he could keep this all up. His body was constantly in alert mode, jumping at the sight of anything remotely red, and he swore he hadn't had a good night's sleep for weeks now. Sora had given up on asking about Axel, but Roxas could feel the questions burning behind every gaze and every glance Sora pinned on him. Demyx and Hayner were probably the only ones who didn't give Roxas any shit for his unexplained actions. Demyx, who had simply given him an apologetic look and a "I'm sorry you quit, man," talked about anything and everything that _didn't_ concern Axel or the band. He was just the type of guy that respected your privacy.

Hayner was preoccupied with his own issues with Olette.

"...She said it was mood swings, but you know what I think, Rox? It's just an excuse to treat everyone like shit." Hayner was saying at lunch, waving a limp fry in the air. "I mean, what does PMS even _stand_ for? Piss, Moan..._Shit?_"

"Fuck if I know." Roxas muttered distractedly, sparing not the least bit of attention.

"Exactly!" Hayner slammed his fist down on the table. "It's all cryptic and shit, this whole 'PMS' thing is _highly_ suspect."

Riku continued to spear him with a "You're the scum of the Earth" glare in class, and was now even trying to _talk_ to him. English period had turned into an interrogation chamber of sorts, with Riku hissing questions and making other pissed-off cat noises at him every day. Seriously, Riku must've been a fucking cat in his past life. And if _that_ wasn't enough, Mr. Leonhart was shooting looks in their direction that could freeze hell over at least three times each day.

_It ain't fucking me!_ Roxas wanted to scream and rip out his hair. He could feel his participation score drop lower and lower in Mr. Leonhart's gradebook with each subsequent class.

"_Dude_, why'd you quit the band?" _Why don't you quit breathing?_

"What the hell's your problem?" _You and your small dick._

"Why aren't you talking to Axel?" _Why do you smell like a fucking girl?_

"God, you're being such an _ass_." _You /like/ ass._

One day, Roxas had had enough and whirled around in his seat, whispering fiercely, "_God_, just shut the fuck _up _already, Riku!"

Riku had looked at him in shock for a second before quickly whispering back, "We're performing tomorrow night. Last show of the school year at the _Diz_. Don't be a dick about it and just come."

"A-_hem_." At the head of the classroom, brown eyebrows were just one twitch away from handing out detentions.

Roxas hastily turned back towards the front as Riku's words stewed in his mind. Maybe he'd go. There'd be plenty of people there. Axel would never notice him. Right?

.o.

Saturday night, Roxas picked out a hoodie to wear and pulled on the hood in hopes appearing less conspicuous. He caught a ride with Riku and Sora to the Diz, where the performance was taking place, and found it easy to slip in and disappear amongst the somewhat disorderly crowd.

It was kind of surreal, watching his band from afar. Behind the keyboard, where Roxas _should_ have been, stood Zexion, cool as a cucumber, his face betraying no hint of anxiety. There was Demyx, guitar pick pinched between his teeth, looking slightly flustered as he wrangled with the cords. Then there was Riku, nonchalantly brushing silver bangs out of his eyes with calculated grace, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, like he _knew_ that he was a total heart throb. And then—Roxas swallowed the spit that had been collecting in his mouth. It was damn near impossible to _not_ notice and ogle the tall vocalist with blazing, red hair and gleaming green eyes.

Roxas slouched down, pulling on his hood to make sure it was securely covering his hair, as Axel grabbed the mic and addressed the audience briefly before launching into their first song. Roxas would swear, looking back on this, that he saw glitter, sparkles, _fireworks_. Axel's voice was low, melodic and velvety smooth, but Roxas wasn't paying the least bit of attention to what the redhead was singing. The way Axel was practically making _love_ to the mic, while running his free hand enticingly across his body gave Roxas the absolute shivers. He watched as Axel's hand traveled down the length of his torso, pausing for a moment near his rocking hips, before dipping a thumb below the waistline of his jeans, tugging teasingly.

Roxas inwardly groaned. _Oh god, I shouldn't have come. It's hopeless._

There was no way Roxas could ever see Axel as _just_ a friend, much less a _best_ friend, whose constant presence would serve as nothing but tortuous temptation for all of eternity.

And then the next song came on. The song, from weeks ago, that would have made Roxas want to vomit last night's dinner and then dry heave some more.

_Glamorous_  
><em>Indie rock'n'roll is what I need<em>

_The fuck? He still has a boner for this song?_

The crowd went wild for the cover of The Killers song, and even sang along to the lyrics. Roxas could swear that Axel was playing this song just to spite the blonde...if he even _knew _that Roxas was here.

As if fate had decided to answer that question, green eyes locked onto blue ones decisively, like Axel had known he was there the whole time. Struck with horror, Roxas froze, heat rushing up to greet his face. When the next words flowed out of Axel's mouth, the redhead's face contorted into a pleading expression.

_Stay if you wanna love me, stay_  
><em>Oh don't be shy, let's cause a scene<em>

It seemed like...like Axel was singing _to_ him, curling a finger _at_ him, gesturing for Roxas to _come_ to him.

_Like lovers do on silver screens_  
><em>Let's make it yeah, we'll cause a scene<em>

And then green eyes averted and never looked back, and Roxas heard no more besides the pounding of his heart in his ears.

"Fuck, was he actually _looking_ at me?" After much tumultuous debate in Roxas's mind, there was no denying that Axel had been staring at him, _knowingly_. There was just no way around the fact. No way to twist it. He wanted to cry, because he didn't know _what_ had just happened, and somewhere in the depths of his churning stomach, he had the plummeting feeling that he had just been mocked and snubbed.

.o.

Roxas was waiting for Axel backstage, huddled in his slightly over-sized hoodie, hands shoved into his pockets so that the redhead couldn't see their trembling.

"What the fuck was that?" Roxas let out a shuddering breath, eyes gliding across the floor. "Is this some kind of a joke to you?"

The half-formed smile on Axel's approaching face withered, replaced by a look as if he had just been slapped in the face. He reached for the blonde. "Rox...I—."

"DON'T." Roxas flinched away. "Just _don't_." He sounded like he was ready to break. "I...I know you're mad at me...maybe you even hate me, but..._fuck_ Axel, how could you screw with my head like that?"

"Hate you?" A look of wonderment spread across Axel's features. "Rox—how could I ever _hate_ you?" For the first time, Roxas dared to meet Axel's eyes, that seemed to beg for the blonde's understanding.

"Then what was that?" He repeated in a small voice. "Why do you keep trying to call me? What do you _want_ from me?" Something hopeful surged within Roxas.

"Isn't it _obvious_, you idiot?" Axel burst out in sudden frustration, but quickly stilled, his voice lowering to an almost-whisper, as if he was afraid to say it. "..._You_. Just _you_." An embarrassed red-haired teen stood where a confident sex-god vocalist had just moments ago, ears tinged slightly with pink.

Roxas struggled to grasp the meaning of that one, simple word. "You want..._me_." It came out as a statement.

"_Yes_."

"...You're sure."

Green eyes flashed brazenly. "I've had 8 years to think about it. Roxas...I'm more than sure."

"8 years. And you've never breathed a _word_." Roxas could hardly believe it.

Axel looked at Roxas, brows slightly furrowed. "Like I said, I thought it was always so fucking _obvious_." He closed his eyes as he continued to speak. "I thought you _knew_, and just chose to ignore it. I was kind of grateful that you stayed my best friend, that you stuck with me, even though you _knew_, or...so I had thought. And that was...that was enough for me." He finished with a shrug.

"But...that night at the coffeehouse a few weeks ago...I saw you..." Roxas could not bring himself to say it. "You and Kairi..."

"_Who_?" Axel had to think for a few hard seconds before he realized what Roxas was getting at. When it hit him, a thin, red brow arched, "Is _that_ why you caught a ride back with Riku and Sora that night? Is _that_ why you started acting all weird and shit?"

"I...I couldn't stop thinking about it." Roxas admitted, slightly mortified with himself. "I thought..." He fidgeted nervously under Axel's questioning gaze, mind blanking. "I didn't know _what_ to think." Roxas finished lamely.

"Look Rox, I'm sorry you had to see that, but it meant _nothing_—."

"I-It's not like I _care_. I mean...your life, right?"

"Of _course_ you care. Otherwise, why're you even bringing this up?" Axel rolled his eyes. "C'mere, dumbass." And Roxas's face was pressing against warm, soft cotton that smelled of smoke and spice. "A guy's got _needs_." Axel started all lecture-like. "But _you_, Rox, you were all I could think about, back in that break room."

"Oh my _god_, Axel, _T-M-I_." Roxas buried his face further into Axel's chest, ready to explode from embarrassment, feeling Axel's chest rumble with a loud laugh. They stayed there for several quiet moments, as Axel ran his hands along Roxas's back, soothingly with need, as if to say _Finally, finally I'm touching you the way I've always wanted to, and I'll be damned if I have to let go_.

Roxas lifted his head from Axel's chest, still puzzling something out in his mind. "So...that song." He mused. "That stupid Killers song. You used that song to, uh, convey your feelings to me." A non-question.

Blink, blink. "Yea?"

Roxas stared at Axel blankly before breaking into a scowl. "You _idiot_, could you be more _confusing_? You couldn't have picked a song that was _actually_ a love song or something?"

"Whadaya mean?" Axel looked confused. "I thought those lyrics—well the _bridge_, at least—made my meaning perfectly obvious."

"You've got an interesting definition of the word _'obvious_.'" Roxas muttered under his breath, before Axel caught his chin, surprising the blonde with a warm press of lips to his own.

"That obvious enough for you?" The redhead asked huskily, lips still hovering millimeters away from Roxas's.

"It's...becoming clearer." Roxas breathed, and Axel only chuckled as he leaned in again and proceeded to blow Roxas's mind, hot tongue probing hungrily into the sweet recesses of a blonde that did all he could from melting in the redhead's arms.

This time, Roxas couldn't deny that he saw stars.

.o.

A/N: In case if you're curious, the song Axel "wrote" is Ohh La La by Goldfrapp. It's a pretty sexy song, so give it a listen if you don't know it. Hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to leave some love. ;)

Huge thanks again to **QuinntheEskimo**!


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